From the sublime to the kick-ass, 2000 was a great year for dance.



1. White Oak Dance Project’s PASTForward. A reminder that the uninflected actions of our daily living can resonate with grace.


2. Rennie Harris Puremovement’s Rome & Jewels. Saturated in sound and energy, this hip-hop Gesamtkunstwerk pointed toward a new generation of art-dance influenced by club and street culture.


3. Hirokazu Kosaka’s Silk Road. Flamenco dancing and chanting Buddhist priests created what can only be described as an ecstatic experience.


4. Victoria Marks’ new choreography (in January and July). Combined intelligence, wit and tenderness to question the nature of performance and how we love.


5. Tamica Washington-Miller (in Donald McKayle’s Angelitos Negro). Hands down, one of the most profound performances not only of the year, but of a lifetime.


6. Merce Cunningham’s Biped. Stretching the art form with stage-size digital images projected amid the dancers.


7. Bill T. Jones’ The Breathing Show. Reflections on mortality from a master showman.


8. Shel Wagner’s Pass. An amazing site-specific performance, with an innovative narrative structure and high-stakes partnering.


9. Stephanie Gilliland’s Soon. An hourlong, nonstop medi tation that meshed the sensual with the contemplative.


10. Neil Greenberg’s This Is What Happened. Cinematic conventions upended perceptions and created character in a spare, refined style.

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